Midori's mother has finally acquired her dream home, but it isn't long before supernatural phenomenas disrupt the peace of the family. And if unexplained electricity failures, strange phone calls, and the eerie presence of spirits weren't enough, finding unexplainable blood in the bathroom becomes the last straw. Mai and Shibuya Psychic Research are brought in to investigate, but what horrors will they find in the 'dream' home that turns out to be nothing but a nightmare?

Akumu no Sumu Ie - Ghost Hunt is based on a sequel novel of the original Ghost Hunt novel, set several months in the future.

As a rule, I don't delve into horror-type work because I'm a little too sensitive after reading such things. Still, Ghost Hunt is one of those works that, while I still freak out after, I'm addicted to reading. So I am very happy to hear that they did a manga for the sequel novel series. So!

Onto the specs:

Art - Despite the artist on the billing being the same one as the original manga, the artwork is noticeably darker and more, er, "frilly" (shoujo-like). The linework is less sharp, more scattered, and the use of shadows on the characters' faces is more prevalent. Naru's (and consequently, Gene's) face has appeared to soften more into a younger man's face than the sharp look he had before. Mai seems to have developed curls. John has definitely the face of a shoujo artist's favorite pretty boy archetype, even more than before. I have to wonder if the Ghost Hunt manga's linework I'm used to seeing is the result of the Americanization as opposed to Akumu no Sumu Ie, whose only publication is in Japan.

Plot - The story is just as good as the original. The spooky air is not only undiminished, but amplified. The change in POV from simply Mai's to a 3rd person observer mixed with other characters' POVs is a refreshing change, especially since I've wanted to strangle Mai from time to time in the original. The artist has clearly taken the time to flesh the story out into a more coherent flow, which makes overall story clarity better. I've had problems previously trying to understand the conversation because it seems like some of it was skipped here and there. The use of an outsider POV is very effective, since it seems that the psychical research babble is easier to swallow.

Complaints - The only complaints I have regarding the story is the length of the chapters. It started out somewhere about 40 pages apiece (which was also the usual in Ghost Hunt), but the later ones have gotten progressively shorter until it's now at the length of an average manga chapter. I know it's a trivial complaint, but the shorter length makes me want to bite someone, because the overall plot has now stretched to 12+ chapters and I want the ghost-busting already, dang it!

When Ghost Hunt finished, I went into the depression of never being able to see my favorite characters again (unless, of course, I reread the series). But, look...! A sequel as been born! It's only been two chapters, but I'm already very happy with the story. Hopefully it lives up to it's partner.